WATCH: Ballerina hangs up pointe shoes after show-stopping career

Her home studio in Morehill may never see another pirouette nor will a sweet sugar plum fairy ever twirl across its floor, but after more than four decades of dedication to ballet, Spanish and classic Greek dancing teacher Michèle Pöhl says her time has come to take a bow.

Born in Selcourt, Springs, the skilled dancer mastered her first plié at the age of six with her younger sister, Teresa’s tutu flaring next to hers.

In the years that followed, this mentor of aspiring prima ballerinas, including Oscar-winning Charlize Theron, quickly became one of South Africa’s most highly decorated dancers.

In 1977, Michèle stepped onto the stage at the opening Baxter Theatre, where she portrayed the role of Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

“My family were all incredibly talented musicians and music was always at the centre of all of my childhood memories,” she said sitting in her studio, where a couple of thousand dancers spent countless hours rehearsing.

“Classical records played endlessly in the background as my parents discussed the composers and the emotions the music evoked.”

Practising the discipline of dancing throughout her primary school years, Michèle’s dream of becoming a renowned ballerina was steadily coming true, when she was accepted at the Johannesburg School of Art, Ballet and Music where she attained distinctions in ballet, Spanish and classical Greek dancing.

“Dancing was my elixir. It is not about completing a series of steps to the tempo of the music,” she said.

“Ballet is about telling a story using only your body. The emotion and passion of every move is designed to draw the audience into a mystical world and music is the narrator.”

Under the tutelage of Reina Berman and Joyce Myroff, Michèle was among four SA dancers to be awarded the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Solo Seal, which is the highest-level vocational graded examination.

“It was a great accomplishment to receive the Solo Seal and this meant that I was among a small group of elite dancers who were in line to be awarded a bursary to the Royal Ballet Company,” she said, sorrow pulling at the corners of her mouth.

“Sanctions imposed on the country due to apartheid led to us being barred from travelling to the United Kingdom to attend the auditions. I was devastated.”

Crossroad
As a recipient of the Dulcie Howes Bursary, the agile dancer seemed to be at the top of her game.

Exempted from her first-year Performer’s Diploma at the University of Cape Town, Michèle graduated in two years, again attaining distinctions.

“Pursuing my dreams brought me great joy but I had become increasingly homesick,” she said.

“The first and second-year dancers openly resented me which took an emotional toll. In the campus studios, I danced to my heart’s content but at night I would lay in my dormitory bed crying.

“One fateful evening I received a call which brought my blooming career to a crossroads.”

Michèle was given the option to take up the ballet teaching position at the former Rika Michaelson Dance School, in Harpur Avenue.

“Rita had passed away and her husband dearly wanted her legacy to live on,” said the mother of two.

“After careful consideration, I packed my bags and headed back to the East Rand, where I became one of two teachers at the academy which boasted an impressive 200 students,” she said.

“In 1983, I founded my own school, Michèle Pöhl A.R.A.D School of Ballet and Spanish Dancing, married my husband Raymond Phillips and gave birth to two sons.”

Speaking about her life-long passion, Michèle says a ballerina cannot rely solely on her talent.

“Without motivation and invested support a dancer is doomed to only practise their skill as a hobby,” she said.

Charlize
Reflecting on her past students, Michèle says the most successful dancer to hail from her studio, is none other than Benoni’s golden girl, Charlize.

“She was a dedicated dancer with great skill and immersed herself in every role she portrayed. Her talent, drive and persistent nudges from her mother, are what illuminated her star status.

“I had the privilege to catch up with her in 2004, shortly after she won the Oscar for best actress. She was still as bubbly and enthusiastic as the first day she set foot in my class.”

Gliding into the dawn of semi-retirement, Michèle says her most heartfelt goodbye is watching her studio of 35 years being transformed into a flatlet.

“I am, however, not completely ready to fully retire, I will still be presenting extra mural classes at five local nursery schools,” she said.

“With this newfound flexibility, I will be able to dedicate more time researching my lineage through genealogy studies and hopefully hubby and I could enjoy more time spent in the bush.”

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